Homecoming
by ipreferwestside
Summary: There's a Kate-sized lump under the covers. And she's not just asleep; when he moves around to the other side, he sees that she's half on his side, wearing one of his shirts, her head on his pillow. An 8x15 pre-ep. COMPLETE.
**And yet another moral occurs to me now: Make love when you can. It's good for you.**
 **-Kurt Vonnegut, _Mother Night_**

* * *

Castle slumps against the elevator wall, the back of his head hitting it with a soft _thump._ He'd booked an earlier flight home, much to Kate's delight, who'd promised to welcome him home "with a bang."

And then his flight had been delayed.

They'd talked before he'd boarded, and he'd insisted that she go back to her little-used hotel room and get some sleep. Neither of them have been getting much lately, and he'll be home so late that he'll just crawl in bed and crash anyway. There's no point in waking up his tired, hard-working wife.

 _His wife._

He sighs and checks his phone even as the elevator announces its arrival on his floor. No more messages from Kate, not since the emoji-filled "I love you" she'd sent just after he'd boarded. Castle had wanted to see her that night - or that morning, seeing as how it's past two - but he'll see her soon enough. He already has plans to sneak into the precinct later, fake separation be damned. He wants to see her at least once before he has to tell her what he'd found out in LA.

Castle leaves his suitcase by the door and drops his coat on top; he'll deal with it later. He just wants to climb in bed and sleep for the next twelve hours. Moving through his apartment in the dark, he's slipping off his button-down when he happens to glance at his bed, and-

He freezes.

 _Oh._

There's a Kate-sized lump under the covers. And she's not just asleep; when he moves around to the other side, he sees that she's half on his side, wearing one of his shirts, her head on his pillow. He grins and finishes undressing, detouring to the bathroom to clean up from travel. He'll take a quick shower, then join his wife in bed.

* * *

Kate wakes at the sound of the shower, her lips curling into a smile when she realizes what it means.

Her husband is home.

She'd planned on greeting him, welcoming him home with a kiss and more. But his delayed flight had put a dent in those plans.

He's home now, though, and he probably thinks she's asleep. She can still surprise him and salvage the night.

She slips out of bed, t-shirt landing on the floor just outside the bathroom. He'd kept the dimmer low, bathing the room in soft light, allowing her to sneak in.

His back is to her when she steps into the shower, and she just watches for a moment. The muscles in his back ripple as he washes his hair, and he must have a song stuck in his head, judging by the wiggle of his hips. Kate grins; he must be exhausted, but despite the long day he'd had, he's still her goofy, loveable dork. But as much as she loves watching him, she doesn't want to anymore. She wants to touch him. To love him.

To fuck him.

He freezes when her hands travel up his back and over his shoulders, and she steps directly behind him, her front flush against his back. "Hey lover," she husks in his ear, sneaking her hands around his torso. "Welcome home."

Castle lets out a low growl and grabs her hands as they travel south. He turns and backs her into the wall, pinning her, one hand tangling in her hair and the other pulling her hips into him. "I thought you were asleep," he growls before capturing her lips with his.

Kate moans against his mouth and lists into him, her arms wrapping around his waist, hips rolling against him. "I tried to stay awake," she gasps, one hand curling around his cock, the other gripping his shoulder. "You took too long."

Castle hooks her leg around his waist, inhaling sharply when it brings her core in line with his growing erection. "Speaking of long," he teases against her mouth, teeth scraping against her bottom lip, moving across her cheek, nipping at her jaw. His tip teases her entrance and he sneaks a hand between them, two thick fingers drawing her moisture over and around her clit.

Kate moans at the contact and her hips buck, causing his fingers to slip inside, and he immediately curls them against her. His thumb works at her clit, and within moments she's soaring, her hips uncontrollable as she sees stars. She collapses forward, forehead against his shoulder, and sighs. "You've ruined me," she moans against his skin.

Castle chuckles and slides his fingers from her, wiping them on his hips. "Yeah? Phone and FaceTime sex doesn't do it for you anymore?"

She manages to lift her head long enough to shoot him a look, even as her hand finds his cock again. "Nothing's a suitable substitute for the real thing."

He'd called her when he was in LA and, much like most of the nights they were apart, the conversation had quickly turned sexual. When she'd answered his teasing "what are you wearing" question with a giggle and admission that she wasn't wearing a damn thing, he'd groaned and proceeded to describe _exactly_ what he'd be doing to her were he there. But, as erotic as it was getting each other off with just the sound of their voices, her slim digits were no match for his mouth or fingers, let alone his cock.

Castle's eyes darken as they flick down to her lips. "Fuck, you're sexy when you use alliteration right after you come."

Kate chuckles, pumping him slowly, adding a turn of her wrist that has him closing his eyes on a groan. "I don't think you're doing it right if I can still talk," she teases, lifting on her toes to flick her tongue against his earlobe. "You gonna fuck me, or what?" she husks in his ear.

He lets out a low growl and grips her thighs, lifting her into his arms. He reaches behind him to shut the water off and grabs a towel on his way out of the bathroom, which he wraps around his wife. He groans when she rolls her hips, and trips on the edge of the carpet, depositing her onto the bed and catching himself before he tumbles to the ground.

"You all right, stud?" Kate asks, concern lacing her features even as she reaches for him, all skin and limbs and sex.

Castle climbs over her, following as she squirms to the middle of the bed and spreads her legs to welcome him to the cradle of her hips. He groans when he sinks into her, his head on her shoulder when he fills her. "I am now."

Kate wraps her legs around his waist, her heels digging into his back and ass, and she lifts her hips in encouragement. "Fuck, Rick, move. I need you to move."

"I'm not gonna-" He moves slowly at first, but soon she's thrusting up to meet him, drawing his hips back to hers faster, harder, as he pants against her neck. "Are you close? I'm almost-"

"Almost," she gasps, her mouth at his ear, and when his fingers find her clit she breaks yet again, a strangled cry escaping her throat as she feels him jerk and spill inside her. His fingers continue to lightly stroke even as she comes down from her orgasm, keeping her on the edge, body shivering with aftershocks. She finally opens her eyes to see him hovering above her, propped on an elbow, a cocky grin on his face.

"That might have been the fastest one yet," he teases, moving his hand to her hip. His thumb brushes over her hipbone and he leans down to steal a lazy kiss.

"To be fair," she argues, chasing his mouth when he pulls away, threading her fingers through his hair to keep him close, "I was halfway there before I even joined you in the shower." She hooks her ankle around his calf and flips him, settling on top of his thighs, hands stroking his still-hard cock. "So it doesn't count."

"But-"

"Castle." She shuts him up with a squeeze. "Is 'shortest time to orgasm' really a record you want to go for?" She cocks an eyebrow, and he opens his mouth to respond, then seems to reconsider. When he just gives her a sheepish smile, she nods. "That's what I thought."

Castle sits up and splays his hands at her back, then lifts, turning so she's beneath him once again. "Maybe we should go for the opposite," he suggests, one hand pinning her wrists above her. "I hope you don't want to come again anytime soon." He kisses her, slow and deep, tongue exploring, tasting. He trails his lips down her neck, nipping behind her ear, at her collarbone, before he reaches her breasts.

"Rick-"

"You don't wanna be able to talk when I'm done?" he breathes against her skin, pausing to look up at her with a crooked grin. "Your wish is my command."

* * *

 _Thanks to Callie and Cathey for your help with this one. All mistakes are mine._


End file.
